A Year in (Brief) Review

2008 went down as one of the better years in my quarter century of existence, fortunately full of more highs than lows, even if I didn’t accomplish everything I set out to conquer (Mt. Everest, Great American Novel, nirvana, fountain of youth, a basic understanding of quantum physic moonwalking—a science I’ll develop in 2009, I promise).I got to try my hand at DJing a couple of times (thanks to Will and Nick’s equipment and charitable sharing of stage), saw Radiohead twice, lived a lifetime in the course of a few Chicago daze and nights, took part in countless impromptu dance parties, witnessed my friends make incredible music and art, spent my first full year outside of a classroom finally able to devote free time to re-educating myself, survived eleven months of weekend boozing and another month of palatable sobriety, and made cacophonous noise with friends under a starry sky in a place properly called Happyland.I also was dumped by my girlfriend somewhere within all of that, but the fact that I was too busy having a rapturous time to get nostalgically down says something about the power of living in the now.

If LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” was the soundtrack to 2007, what was the noise of THIS year?If I had to hang 365 days worth of feeling on less than five minutes of funk (the groovy rather than the mopey kind) I guess it would be Cut Copy’s “Strangers in the Wind”, especially the latter half of that song, when the dreams of a year are compressed and phased and shot through with enough endless onward hope to catapult me into another 8,760 hours.Unlike “All My Friends”, “Strangers in the Wind” was not my favorite song released during the year (I’m not sure I even have one), but like “All My Friends” it was able to capture the mood of 12 months.Five years ago a part of me questioned whether I’d burn out before I made it to my silver anniversary.I’m pretty confident that I can easily handle the next 25. Thank you to everyone who helped make the past year a great one.These moments passing will be there indeed.

5 responses to “A Year in (Brief) Review”

Grinning through tears and weeping through smiles. Ah, the life of the quarter-life successfully adverted crisis. I feel you all the way dear friend. You know what I think? “These moments pass and I will be there.” I love Ada because (as annoying as it can be) it never leaves you. I remember Chris and Andrew trading soccer stories in (?) fourth grade, I remember my first meeting with “carl” and seeing Chris at the park, I remember freshmen year and dropping out of class with Chris, I remember channeling rock gods and mythical directors with Chris at Nick’s impromptu video/music sessions, I remember H-Hade with Chris and various other english kids. Your heart grows the over the little occurrences that “float in the breeze”. If I had a beer, I shout a hearty Cheers! to a year of friends and memories.